2000-11-27 13:42:17

by Petr Vandrovec

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: OOps in exec_usermodehelper

Hi,
I have one small problem with 2.4.0-test11 and exec_usermodehelper.
When vmware modules shutdown (specifically vmnet-netifup), kernel tries
to load some module through call_usermodehelper, but unfortunately
from task which has current->files == NULL.

So it prints message:

waitpid(19457) failed, -512

and then it oopses in

for (i = 0; i < current->files->max_fds; i++) {
if (current->files->fd[i]) close(i);
}

(In log, there is first waitpid, and then oopses from current->files == NULL,
which I do not quite understand).

Should I look into this more deeply, or is correct fix just add

if (current->files) {
for (i = 0; ..... ) ...
}

into exec_usermodehelper?
Best regards,
Petr Vandrovec
[email protected]


2000-11-28 01:19:22

by Andrew Morton

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: OOps in exec_usermodehelper

Petr Vandrovec wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I have one small problem with 2.4.0-test11 and exec_usermodehelper.
> When vmware modules shutdown (specifically vmnet-netifup), kernel tries
> to load some module through call_usermodehelper, but unfortunately
> from task which has current->files == NULL.
>
> So it prints message:
>
> waitpid(19457) failed, -512
>
> and then it oopses in
>
> for (i = 0; i < current->files->max_fds; i++) {
> if (current->files->fd[i]) close(i);
> }
>
> (In log, there is first waitpid, and then oopses from current->files == NULL,
> which I do not quite understand).
>
> Should I look into this more deeply, or is correct fix just add
>
> if (current->files) {
> for (i = 0; ..... ) ...
> }
>
> into exec_usermodehelper?

No. Then it just blows up somewhere else.

The root cause here is that we're starting a kernel thread
from within a half-exitted parent. I'll be coding a fix
later today.

2000-11-28 15:21:00

by Andrew Morton

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: OOps in exec_usermodehelper

Petr Vandrovec wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I have one small problem with 2.4.0-test11 and exec_usermodehelper.
> When vmware modules shutdown (specifically vmnet-netifup), kernel tries
> to load some module through call_usermodehelper, but unfortunately
> from task which has current->files == NULL.

hmm.. Quite a few things fixed here.

Could you please test this patch? It's against 2.4.0-test12-pre2,
should be OK against test11.

The basic problem is that we are launching kernel threads from
within half-exitted parents.

do_exit->__exit_files->ppp_destroy_interface->...

I don't think it's a good idea to teach the kernel how to fork
from half-dead parents, so this patch moves /sbin/hotplug so
it's parented by [k]eventd, not by whoever called
[un]register_netdevice.

Changes:

- rename `eventd' to `keventd'

- start_context_thread() is now called explicitly prior to doing the
initcalls. This is to prevent the possibility of an initcall
function getting permanently blocked because keventd hasn't
started.

- Don't call net_notifier_init until we've mounted the root fs.
This prevents the "no root fs" warnings.

- Make the call to net_notifier_init dependent on CONFIG_NET,
so netless kernels don't fail at link time.

- call_usermodehelper() now asks keventd to parent the usermode
app. In fact keventd is the grandparent because we need an
intermediate thread to wait on the usermode app. We don't
want keventd to block while /sbin/hotplug does its thing.

- Fix exec_helper so it returns the exit code of the child.
Error values are now correctly propagated as described in the
comments.

- In schedule_task(), drop a log if keventd isn't running yet.

- Fix call_usermodehelper() so it blocks SIGCHLD. This was
the reason for the waitpid() calls failing with ERESTARTSYS.

- Will now correctly find /sbin/hotplug if the caller of
[un]register_netdevice is chrooted.

- keventd is now capable of reaping dead children. I will be all ears
if someone can tell me how to get a kernel thread to accept signals
without having to install a handler with

sa.sa_handler = (__sighandler_t)100;




--- linux-2.4.0-test12-pre2/include/linux/sched.h Tue Nov 28 18:32:01 2000
+++ linux-akpm/include/linux/sched.h Tue Nov 28 20:28:09 2000
@@ -150,6 +150,7 @@
asmlinkage void schedule(void);

extern void schedule_task(struct tq_struct *task);
+extern int start_context_thread(void);

/*
* The default fd array needs to be at least BITS_PER_LONG,
--- linux-2.4.0-test12-pre2/kernel/kmod.c Tue Nov 21 20:11:21 2000
+++ linux-akpm/kernel/kmod.c Wed Nov 29 01:19:47 2000
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@

int request_module(const char * module_name)
{
- int pid;
+ pid_t pid;
int waitpid_result;
sigset_t tmpsig;
int i;
@@ -259,40 +259,121 @@

static int exec_helper (void *arg)
{
+ long ret;
+
void **params = (void **) arg;
char *path = (char *) params [0];
char **argv = (char **) params [1];
char **envp = (char **) params [2];
- return exec_usermodehelper (path, argv, envp);
+ ret = exec_usermodehelper (path, argv, envp);
+ if (ret < 0)
+ ret = -ret;
+ do_exit(ret);
}

+struct tq_with_sem {
+ struct semaphore *sem;
+ char *path;
+ char **argv;
+ char **envp;
+ int retval;
+};

-int call_usermodehelper (char *path, char **argv, char **envp)
+/*
+ * This is a standalone child of keventd. It forks off another thread which
+ * is the desired usermode helper and then waits for the child to exit.
+ * We return the usermode process's exit code, or some -ve error code.
+ */
+static int ____call_usermodehelper(void *data)
{
- void *params [3] = { path, argv, envp };
- int pid, pid2, retval;
+ struct tq_with_sem *tq_sem = data;
+ struct task_struct *curtask = current;
+ void *params [3] = { tq_sem->path, tq_sem->argv, tq_sem->envp };
+ pid_t pid, pid2;
mm_segment_t fs;
+ int retval = 0;

- if ( ! current->fs->root ) {
- printk(KERN_ERR "call_usermodehelper[%s]: no root fs\n",
- path);
- return -EPERM;
- }
- if ((pid = kernel_thread (exec_helper, (void *) params, 0)) < 0) {
- printk(KERN_ERR "failed fork %s, errno = %d", argv [0], -pid);
- return -1;
- }
+ if (!curtask->fs->root) {
+ printk(KERN_ERR "call_usermodehelper[%s]: no root fs\n", tq_sem->path);
+ retval = -EPERM;
+ goto up_and_out;
+ }
+ if ((pid = kernel_thread(exec_helper, (void *) params, 0)) < 0) {
+ printk(KERN_ERR "failed fork2 %s, errno = %d", tq_sem->argv[0], -pid);
+ retval = pid;
+ goto up_and_out;
+ }
+
+ if (retval >= 0) {
+ /* Block everything but SIGKILL/SIGSTOP */
+ spin_lock_irq(&curtask->sigmask_lock);
+ siginitsetinv(&curtask->blocked, sigmask(SIGKILL) | sigmask(SIGSTOP));
+ recalc_sigpending(curtask);
+ spin_unlock_irq(&curtask->sigmask_lock);
+
+ /* Allow the system call to access kernel memory */
+ fs = get_fs();
+ set_fs(KERNEL_DS);
+ pid2 = waitpid(pid, &retval, __WCLONE);
+ if (pid2 == -1 && errno < 0)
+ pid2 = errno;
+ set_fs(fs);
+
+ if (pid2 != pid) {
+ printk(KERN_ERR "waitpid(%d) failed, %d\n", pid, pid2);
+ retval = (pid2 < 0) ? pid2 : -1;
+ }
+ }
+
+up_and_out:
+ tq_sem->retval = retval;
+ curtask->exit_signal = SIGCHLD; /* Wake up parent */
+ up_and_exit(tq_sem->sem, retval);
+}

- fs = get_fs ();
- set_fs (KERNEL_DS);
- pid2 = waitpid (pid, &retval, __WCLONE);
- set_fs (fs);
+/*
+ * This is a schedule_task function, so we must not sleep for very long at all.
+ * But the exec'ed process could do anything at all. So we launch another
+ * kernel thread.
+ */
+static void __call_usermodehelper(void *data)
+{
+ struct tq_with_sem *tq_sem = data;
+ pid_t pid;

- if (pid2 != pid) {
- printk(KERN_ERR "waitpid(%d) failed, %d\n", pid, pid2);
- return -1;
+ if ((pid = kernel_thread (____call_usermodehelper, (void *)tq_sem, 0)) < 0) {
+ printk(KERN_ERR "failed fork1 %s, errno = %d", tq_sem->argv[0], -pid);
+ tq_sem->retval = pid;
+ up(tq_sem->sem);
}
- return retval;
+}
+
+/*
+ * This function can be called via do_exit->__exit_files, which means that
+ * we're partway through exitting and things break if we fork children.
+ * So we use keventd to parent the usermode helper.
+ * We return the usermode application's exit code or some -ve error.
+ */
+int call_usermodehelper (char *path, char **argv, char **envp)
+{
+ DECLARE_MUTEX_LOCKED(sem);
+ struct tq_with_sem tq_sem = {
+ sem: &sem,
+ path: path,
+ argv: argv,
+ envp: envp,
+ retval: 0,
+ };
+ struct tq_struct tqs = {
+ next: 0,
+ sync: 0,
+ routine: __call_usermodehelper,
+ data: &tq_sem,
+ };
+
+ schedule_task(&tqs);
+ down(&sem); /* Wait for an error or completion */
+ return tq_sem.retval;
}

EXPORT_SYMBOL(exec_usermodehelper);
--- linux-2.4.0-test12-pre2/kernel/context.c Tue Nov 21 20:11:21 2000
+++ linux-akpm/kernel/context.c Wed Nov 29 01:48:42 2000
@@ -6,16 +6,23 @@
* [email protected]
*/

+#define __KERNEL_SYSCALLS__
+
#include <linux/module.h>
#include <linux/kernel.h>
#include <linux/sched.h>
#include <linux/init.h>
+#include <linux/unistd.h>
+#include <linux/signal.h>

static DECLARE_TASK_QUEUE(tq_context);
static DECLARE_WAIT_QUEUE_HEAD(context_task_wq);
+static int keventd_running;

void schedule_task(struct tq_struct *task)
{
+ if (keventd_running == 0)
+ printk(KERN_ERR "schedule_task(): keventd has not started\n");
queue_task(task, &tq_context);
wake_up(&context_task_wq);
}
@@ -24,18 +31,24 @@

static int context_thread(void *dummy)
{
- DECLARE_WAITQUEUE(wait, current);
+ struct task_struct *curtask = current;
+ DECLARE_WAITQUEUE(wait, curtask);
+ struct k_sigaction sa;

daemonize();
- strcpy(current->comm, "eventd");
+ strcpy(curtask->comm, "keventd");
+ keventd_running = 1;

- spin_lock_irq(&current->sigmask_lock);
- sigfillset(&current->blocked);
- recalc_sigpending(current);
- spin_unlock_irq(&current->sigmask_lock);
+ spin_lock_irq(&curtask->sigmask_lock);
+ siginitsetinv(&curtask->blocked, sigmask(SIGCHLD));
+ recalc_sigpending(curtask);
+ spin_unlock_irq(&curtask->sigmask_lock);
+ sa.sa.sa_handler = (__sighandler_t)100; /* Surely there's a better way? */
+ sa.sa.sa_flags = 0;
+ do_sigaction(SIGCHLD, &sa, (struct k_sigaction *)0);

for (;;) {
- current->state = TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE;
+ __set_task_state(curtask, TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE);
add_wait_queue(&context_task_wq, &wait);

/*
@@ -46,15 +59,19 @@
schedule();

remove_wait_queue(&context_task_wq, &wait);
- current->state = TASK_RUNNING;
+ __set_task_state(curtask, TASK_RUNNING);
run_task_queue(&tq_context);
+ if (signal_pending(curtask)) {
+ while (waitpid(-1, (unsigned int *)0, __WALL|WNOHANG) > 0)
+ ;
+ flush_signals(curtask);
+ recalc_sigpending(curtask);
+ }
}
}

-static int __init start_context_thread(void)
+int start_context_thread(void)
{
kernel_thread(context_thread, NULL, CLONE_FS | CLONE_FILES | CLONE_SIGHAND);
return 0;
}
-
-module_init(start_context_thread);
--- linux-2.4.0-test12-pre2/init/main.c Tue Nov 28 18:32:01 2000
+++ linux-akpm/init/main.c Tue Nov 28 20:29:34 2000
@@ -702,6 +702,7 @@
else mount_initrd =0;
#endif

+ start_context_thread();
do_initcalls();

/* .. filesystems .. */
@@ -714,16 +715,16 @@
init_pcmcia_ds(); /* Do this last */
#endif

-#ifdef CONFIG_HOTPLUG
+ /* Mount the root filesystem.. */
+ mount_root();
+
+#if defined(CONFIG_HOTPLUG) && defined(CONFIG_NET)
/* do this after other 'do this last' stuff, because we want
* to minimize spurious executions of /sbin/hotplug
* during boot-up
*/
net_notifier_init();
#endif
-
- /* Mount the root filesystem.. */
- mount_root();

mount_devfs_fs ();

2000-11-28 18:30:59

by Petr Vandrovec

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: OOps in exec_usermodehelper

On 29 Nov 00 at 1:53, Andrew Morton wrote:

> hmm.. Quite a few things fixed here.
>
> Could you please test this patch? It's against 2.4.0-test12-pre2,
> should be OK against test11.

I upgraded to 12-pre2 already ;-) It looks like that it works.

> - keventd is now capable of reaping dead children. I will be all ears
> if someone can tell me how to get a kernel thread to accept signals
> without having to install a handler with
>
> sa.sa_handler = (__sighandler_t)100;

Is there any reason why not set sa.sa_handler to SIG_IGN? According
to arch/i386/kernel/signal.c:do_signal(), signal manpage and my memory,
kernel does automatic child reaping in such configuration. So you
could even remove waitpid() loop from keventd. I did not tried it yet,
but it looks like obvious solution...

BTW, are you sure that kernel does not try to deliver SIGSEGV to
keventd() when signal arrives. It looks like that it should, but it
probably fails somewhere during way due to non-existent userspace for
this process.

> + sa.sa.sa_handler = (__sighandler_t)100; /* Surely there's a better way? */
> + sa.sa.sa_flags = 0;

SA_RESTART? SA_NOCLDSTOP ?

> + do_sigaction(SIGCHLD, &sa, (struct k_sigaction *)0);
>
> for (;;) {
> - current->state = TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE;
> + __set_task_state(curtask, TASK_INTERRUPTIBLE);
> add_wait_queue(&context_task_wq, &wait);
>
> /*
> @@ -46,15 +59,19 @@
> schedule();
>
> remove_wait_queue(&context_task_wq, &wait);
> - current->state = TASK_RUNNING;
> + __set_task_state(curtask, TASK_RUNNING);
> run_task_queue(&tq_context);
> + if (signal_pending(curtask)) {
> + while (waitpid(-1, (unsigned int *)0, __WALL|WNOHANG) > 0)
> + ;
> + flush_signals(curtask);
> + recalc_sigpending(curtask);
> + }

Best regards,
Petr Vandrovec
[email protected]

2000-11-29 07:47:13

by Andrew Morton

[permalink] [raw]
Subject: Re: OOps in exec_usermodehelper

Petr Vandrovec wrote:
>
> On 29 Nov 00 at 1:53, Andrew Morton wrote:
>
> > hmm.. Quite a few things fixed here.
> >
> > Could you please test this patch? It's against 2.4.0-test12-pre2,
> > should be OK against test11.
>
> I upgraded to 12-pre2 already ;-) It looks like that it works.

Yup. It works.

> > - keventd is now capable of reaping dead children. I will be all ears
> > if someone can tell me how to get a kernel thread to accept signals
> > without having to install a handler with
> >
> > sa.sa_handler = (__sighandler_t)100;
>
> Is there any reason why not set sa.sa_handler to SIG_IGN?

Nope. SIG_IGN works well for SIGCHLD, which is special-cased
for the reasons which you identify. Thanks.

> According
> to arch/i386/kernel/signal.c:do_signal(), signal manpage and my memory,
> kernel does automatic child reaping in such configuration. So you
> could even remove waitpid() loop from keventd. I did not tried it yet,
> but it looks like obvious solution...

Unfortunately this doesn't work for kernel threads.

do_signal()
{
...
/*
* We want the common case to go fast, which
* is why we may in certain cases get here from
* kernel mode. Just return without doing anything
* if so.
*/
if ((regs->xcs & 3) != 3)
return 1;
...
<child reaping code goes here>

I suspect all the fancy signal frame assembly would blow up if it
tried to build a frame on a kernel stack. Not sure...

do_signal() could be altered to do the reaping even for kernel
threads, but that means touching every arch and it's not The Right Way.

Similarly, the kernel thread could be reparented to init via
REMOVE_LINKS/SET_LINKS but again, I didn't want to commit a
layering violation just because proper signal and task management
for kernel threads is tricky.

> BTW, are you sure that kernel does not try to deliver SIGSEGV to
> keventd() when signal arrives. It looks like that it should, but it
> probably fails somewhere during way due to non-existent userspace for
> this process.

Well, the fault handler exception table walker will see we're running
a kernel thread and will force an oops. Plus SIGSEGV is blocked...

> > + sa.sa.sa_handler = (__sighandler_t)100; /* Surely there's a better way? */
> > + sa.sa.sa_flags = 0;
>
> SA_RESTART?

That's handled during signal delivery. Kernel threads don't get that
far.

> SA_NOCLDSTOP ?

Kernel threads can block SIGSTOP :)


BTW, quite a lot of the modprobe-specific stuff can probably now
be thrown away - it can use this version of call_usermodehelper().
But that's not a bug. Next time..